Life Goes On
by Unrequited Hate
Summary: He was lost. Nico never meant to go to her, but she had the answer he was searching for. He learned so much from her that day, and even now he has no regrets. All thanks to those three simple words: Life Goes On. Thalico friendship fic, one-shot.


_**Life Goes On**_

**Hai :3 ****it's me.**

**This is a Thalico friendship fic, written for the Treasure Hunt Competition on the Percy Jackson Fanfiction Challenges. Prompts: Quote 'In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.', Genre - Friendship.**

Thalia closed her eyes and concentrated, all her senses reaching out around her to find out what was wrong. She had gone on an early morning walk to escape from the Hunters, since Artemis had decided she deserved a day off, but she had only begun to sense something different when the birds stopped singing.

An aura of darkness floated in the usually fresh and clear air, but Thalia wasn't scared. She'd seen and felt this before, but she couldn't quite remember where. Her head snapped around when she heard a slight rustling sound in the bush next to her. Her hand crept towards her quiver full of arrows as she crouched down slightly, ready to fight. And then something big, black and heavy came flying of the bush towards her, knocking her over.

"What the hell? ...Nico, is that you? What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Thalia? What the... I'm so confused right now..."

"Whatever! Just get off me, you're squashing me!"

The daughter of Zeus brought her fist up and punched the younger boy in the stomach, not even flinching as he whimpered in pain.

"Okay, good. Now that I'm not being squashed to death by a hyperactive son of Hades, why are you here?"

"I have no idea how I got here. I was in my dad's palace, about to shadow travel to camp, and I just ended up here. I should probably practice my shadow travelling and maybe concentrate a little more next time..."

Thalia snorted.

"Yeah, _probably_."

The two demigods stood in uncomfortable silence for a minute, before Nico opened his mouth.

"Hey... do you wanna walk with me for a while?"

"Sure. Why?"

"I want to talk to you about something."

"Okay, what is it?"

Thalia looked worried, her electric blue eyes were filled with concern and her brow was creased in a frown.

"I... I don't know, it's just... I don't know where my life is going right now. I feel kind of lost, y'know? The war is over now, and life's much less dangerous than it was, but I can't help but wonder... What happens next? I mean, everything's much easier for you, you've already made your choice: you're going to hunt with Artemis, as her lieutenant, for... well, for eternity, I guess, as long as you don't get killed. But me... I have nothing to do. Camp isn't really a home for me, and neither is my dad's palace, so where do I go next, what do I do? I'm... scared, Thalia, and I need advice. Can you help me?"

Thalia stopped walking to think for a moment, sorting out the thoughts in her head. She wanted to give Nico a good answer, an answer that would actually help and not just leave him even more confused.

"Well... In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on. You don't really have to do anything. I mean, you're a demigod... the Fates decided your destiny, and there's not much you can do to change it. But, my advice is: do what you can. Don't think about it too hard, because knowing you, you'll end up with severe brain damage, but... go with the flow, if you know what I mean. Just let everything happen, and if you're not happy with your life, you can always change it. But don't make your choice too early: you'll be living with too many regrets, soon enough. That's all the advice I can give you, not because I don't know anything, but because we're all different, we're all unique, and we all have our own ways of dealing with stuff, our own path in life. So don't ever believe that your path is already ready for you. You have to make it yourself, choose your direction. That's what I did, and I don't regret anything. Trust me, Nico, you won't regret anything either."

Thalia smiled at him, and he felt warm inside. Not in a lovey way, but more in a... comforting way. He'd found a friend. And that was all he ever needed. A great weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and he felt happier than ever before.

He was free.

**Okay, so I didn't really plan this out like this, but I guess I'm kind of happy with what I've done. :D Please review! - Smarties**


End file.
